Seam



s. e. TATE.

SEAM.

APPLICATION FILED 1uLY7. I916.

Patented Sept. 21, 1920.

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SAMUEL GEORGE TATETOF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNION SPECIAL MA CHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SEAM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL GnoRGnTA'rn, a citizen of the United States, residing. at Chicago, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new'and useful Improvements in Seams, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in seams for sewed articles, and more particularly to a flat seam for uniting the abutted edges of fabric sections. 7

An object of the invention is to prov de a seam of the above character which consists of two pairs of needle'threads formed into loops and passed through the fabric-sec.- tions, and wherein the needle loops of respective pairs of needle threads are secured by looper threads respectively, one of whlch looper threads is so concatenated withthe needle loops of the corresponding PZLLLD- of needle threads as to prevent the seam from raveling when a strain 'is placed on the fabric sections tending to .separate their abutted edges.

. In the drawings, which show by way of illustration one embodiment of the invention:-

Figure 1 is atop plan view on an enlarged scale showing fabric sectionsunitedby my improved arrangement of stitching threads;

Fig. .2 is a bottom plan view of the seams;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the fabric sections showing; the 'looper thread which secures two of the rows of needle loops;

Fig. 4 is a View, similar tojFig. 3 but showing the arrangement, of'the looper threads which unite the other two rows of needle loops. I

The invention comprises generally a seam for sewed articles consisting of trimmed and abutted edges of knitted fabric which are first united by stitches including two needle threads formed into rows of loopspenetrating the respective fabric sections on opposite sides of the meeting edges of fabric sections, a cross thread which connectsvthe needle threads on one face of the fabric, and a looper thread which. connects the needle loops on the other face of the fabric, said looperthread being formed into aline of single chain: loops disposed entirely on one side of the meeting'edges of the fabric Specification of Letters Patent. Patented S t 21 1920 Application filed July 7, 1916. Serial no; 107,959.

sections. The fabric sections are then united by stitches consisting'of two needle threads, each of which is formed into a' row of needle loops, said rows of needle loops beng disposed respectively on opposite sides of the meeting edges of the fabric sections, a cross thread connecting the needle threads on one face of the fabric, and a looper thread connecting the needle loops on the other face of the fabric, said looper thread being formed into a series of loops respectively concatenated with each pair ofthe needle loops so that the loop formed in the looper thread of this series of stitches is relatively enlarged, whereby, if released, a strain on the fabric sections will fail to draw the enlarged loop through'the needle loop, and whereby said enlarged loop extends across the meeting line of the seam and a strain on the fabric sections will .pr0- duce opposed strains on the looper thread loop, all of which cooperates to prevent the ravel-ing of the seam when said fabric sections are under strain, as referred to above. The last-named series of stitches are. arrangedso as to cover the ends of the loops formed in the first-named looper thread, and thus prevent said first-named looper thread from raveling. It will be understood, of course, that these two series of stitches may be made in one on the same machine, one

being formed slightly in rear of the other so as to bring about of the stitches. v o

Referring more in detail to the drawings:- I

The seam consists of two fabric sections 1 and 2, the edges of which are trimmed this overlapped relation and abutted, as at 3. In the formation of being passed through first a needle loop 7 .and then a needle loop 6.

This looper thread loop 10 is locked by the next-formed The needle threads are needle loop 6 on the same side of the abutted edges of the fabric so that in effect the looper thread loops form a row of single chain stitches located entirely on one side of the meeting edges of the fabric sections. The strand 11 of the loop 10 is carried around the next needle loop 7, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings.

The fabric sections are then joined by a series of stitches consisting of two needle threads 12 and 13. These needle threads are formed into a series of loops 1 1 and 15, respectively, and said needle loops are passed through the fabric sections so that the needle loops 14: are located on one side of the meeting edges of the fabric. sections, while the loops 15 are on the other side of the meeting edges of the fabric sections. These needle thread loops 14 and 15 are also disposed on opposite sides of the single chainstitches in the looper thread 9, referred to above. On one face of the fabric, the needle threads 14 and 15 are joined by a cross thread 16, which is laid about each needle loop, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. This cross thread is laid on the same face of the fabric as the cross thread 8. On the other face of the fabric the needle loops 1% and 15 are locked by a looper thread 17 which is formed into loops 18, and each loop is passed first through a needle loop 15 and a needle loop 14, and this looper thread loop 18 extends about'and is locked by the next two formed needle loops 1% and 15. As a result the loop 18 from a point where it emerges from the needle loop 14: is considerably enlarged and extends across the meeting edges of the fabric sections: The looper thread loop 18 covers and ties down the single chain stitches formed in the looper thread 9, and thus prevents the loops in the looper thread 9 from raveling.

It has been found in practice that the stitches having the loops formed as a single row of chain stitches on one side of the meeting edges only may ravel when a strain is placed on the fabric sections tending to separate the same. The loop projecting beyond the needle thread loop is relatively small and may be pulled out by this strain so that the threads will ravel. The second series of stitches either in part or in whole overlaps the first-named stitches. In the drawings, I have shown these second series of stitches partly overlapping the first-named series of stitches. This overlapping of one of the first-named series of stitches prevents raveling, as the threads of the overlapping stitches tie down and hold the ends of the loops formed in the looper thread of the first-named stitches. Furthermore, this second series of stitches will not ravel for the reason that the looper thread loop, as above point where it passes through the last needle thread and even if the loo 9 itself is released through a raveling out or the loops which lock the same, a strain on the fabric will fail to pull said enlarged loop through the needle loop before the needle loop is drawn small enough to tie closely about the looper thread loop and thus hold the same. Fun thermore, any strain on the fabric sections which would tend to separate these fabric sections at their abutted edges would pull in opposite directions on these looper thread loops, for the reason that each loop extends across the meeting edges of the fabric sections and is locked by two needle loops passing therethrough, which needle loops are disposed on opposite sides of the meeting sections. 7

From the above, it will be apparent that this second-named series of stitches cooperating with the first-named series of stitches forms an effective covering seam for the meeting edges of the abutted sections of fabric, wherein the series are slightly overlapped and wherein all the stitches pass through the fabric adjacent the meeting edges and serve to tie down and cover any loose ends of threads of the fabric and other stitches pass through the fabric sections well back from the meeting edges, thus forming a firm anchorage for the stitches. The secondnamed series of stitches covers in part the first-named series and prevents the same from raveling, as above noted, and the second-named series is of itself constructed so as not to ravel.

While I have shown this second series of stitches with enlarged looper thread loops as covering in part a stitch of a different character, it is obvious that minor changes in the character of the stitches used and the arrangement of the threads may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, which consists primarily in the use of this two needle series of stitches having the looper thread with the enlarged loop which overlaps and prevents the raveling of the ends of the loops of another series of stitches which are used in joining the fabric sections. In the formation of a seam, the overlapping sections of fabric are fed in the direction indicated by the arrow in the Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is 1-- 1. A: seam for sewed articles comprising fabric sections having their edges abutted, a series of stitches connecting said sections and comprising spaced rows of opposed needle thread loops respectively extending through the fabric sections on opposite sides of the abutted edges, a looper thread concatenated with said needle thread loops and forming a line-of single chain loops on one side of the meeting edges of the fabric sections, and a separate. series of stitches connecting and anchoring said fabric sections against being separated by a strain transverse of the meeting edges of the fabric sections, said separate series of stitches including spaced rows of opposed needle thread loops and a looper thread concatenated therewith, said last-mentioned looper thread being formed into a series of loops respectively concatenated with each pair of the last-mentioned needle thread loops after passing through the needle thread loopsof a previous pair and extending over and covering the chain loops of the first-mentioned looper thread.

2. A seam for sewed articles comprising fabric sections, and a series of stitches connecting the adjacent edges thereof, said stitches comprising two needle threads formed into rows of needle loops penetrat-' ing the fabric sections respectively on opposite sides of the adjacent edges, a looper thread formed into a, series of loops, each looper thread loop being concatenated with opposed needle thread loops, a cross thread disposed on the opposite face of the fabric and connecting the needle threads, a separate series of stitches connecting and anchoringsaid fabric sections against being separated by a strain transverse to the adjacent edges of the fabric sections, said second series of .on the same side of the fabric sections as the first-named cross thread, and a looperthread formed into a series of loops each passing around opposed needle thread loops in said second series of stitchesafter passing through the needle thread loops of a previous pair in said second series of stitches and extending over and covering the ends of the loops formed in the first-named looper thread.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL GEORGE TATE.

Witnesses:

OTTO G. DoHsE, E. G. N. TRESISE. 

